Hey MLE, I had a question regarding mixing voice chat in from the Mixamp while using the Magni. Before you received the Magni you said:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy

Well my worries are mostly when adding voice chat, and not the Magni's ability to drive a headphone. The Magni should be fine for the vast majority. Just, dunno about driving headphones loud if you have a large tip towards voice chat on something like a Mixamp.

I couldn't find if you had commented more on this, but after using the Magni now for a little while, did you find your above worry to be an issue, or can the Magni still drive headphones loud enough while mixing in voice chat via the Mixamp? I don't play multiplayer with voice too often, but when I do, specifically on Red Dead Redemption, I find I have to crank the mix knob to about 3 o'clock to be able to hear my friend loud enough over the game audio.

Also, I noticed in your amp section (the whole redesign looks great, btw!) that you mentioned the DT 990s can sound a bit harsh in the treble off the E9K. I'm still planing on getting the DT 990 Pros and was originally going to get the E9K, but if the Magni will treat them better and not have an issue once I mix voice chat in, then I'll go with that instead.

The Q701 is basically the most amp dependent headphone outside of the HE-4 that I've used. It improves in dynamics, fullness, and refinement. Yes, it not only needs an amp, it deserves an amp. It behaves like a 600ohm headphone.

Thank you for the quick reply! So, I take it that on a budget you would point me at the Schiit Magni. I seriously can't wait for the ODA anymore. I got the itch.

Really, the ONLY reason I recommend the E9K over the Magni is when you need a line out or pre-amp out (like connecting powered speakers, like desktop speakers, or attaching another amp, etc). The Magni only has one RCA input, and that's it. That is gonna be only for your DAC, or your Mixamp, etc. You will have to constantly swap cables if using more than one source.

With the E9K, if you use the E07K or E17 as a DAC, you can dock them, leaving the RCA input free for your Mixamp, etc. Power and technical superiority of the Magni or extra versatility and functionality of the E9K.

If I only had the Magni, I'd be a little irked by the lack of inputs, but I use my SA-31 for most things which has 5 RCA inputs, lol.

You could also get an RCA switcher and hook that up to the Magni...though I'd be wary of cheap ones, and potential loss of SQ.

back again..lol am I mistaken or is the only input the 3.5mm line in? Because the RCA says line out next to it? I have just cancelled my amazon order (even though 5 mins after I cancelled the seller changed it to dispatched).

That's the E9, not the E9K which has an RCA input instead of the 3.5mm input (line in). They are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that you'd need a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable from the Mixamp to the E9, and a 3.5mm to RCA cable for the Mixamp to the E9K/Magni. 3.5mm line in and RCA in are the same thing. The difference is the channels are joined on the 3.5mm cable first for the E9, and the channels are joined on the E9K/Magni inside the amp itself. Shouldn't be any difference due to the input.

Also the Pre-amp out is a 3.5mm on the E9, and an RCA on the E9K. Same thing, just a different cable needed. I prefer RCA because the cables and inputs are more reliable, less prone to breaking. 3.5mm inputs tend to mess up a lot more than RCA inputs.Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 12/27/12 at 9:47am

Thanks to this thread my white Q701s arrived this morning. First impressions are that they are more wider and clearer than my pc360s... They also seem more "sterile" ( I cannot think of a better word) than the pc360s. Although I was only using my mixamp because my e09 has not arrived.

Also, thanks to chicolom and mad lust envy for recommending the akg's

To me, the PC360s are the more "sterile" sounding, and the AKGs are more full and musical.

I'm glad you enjoy them though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heretic817

MLE or Chico or anyone else really -

Would you say that the Q701 have any noticeable improvement with the addition of an amp? I am not talking about an amp making the "sound better" per se.

Subjectively speaking do you think you noticed any improvement beyond just volume?

For music they absolutely deserve a decent desktop amp (with a DAC and good files first, of course), and there is a noticeable improvement in the dynamic range and the size of the soundstage (and the amount of "air" and separation between objects). With a weaker amp they just overall sound more compressed, muddier, and smaller.

For console gaming, the improvement is less obvious as the source (dolby digital from consoles) is a more compressed to begin with, plus double amping the mixamp blah blah blah. They still improve some though.

Again, for PC use and music you're NOT getting the full potential of the AKGs unless your using them with a decent DAC and desktop amp.

I haven't used them for PC gaming or with any Dolby Headphone soundcards or anything, so I can't comment on that.

So I ordered the Q701 headphones yesterday based on the reviews of them in this thread (and elsewhere) and eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Now I'm looking around for a good DAC/Amp combo primarily for desktop gaming and music. Admittedly, it seems that I should have ordered the amp/dac first, but no biggie.

I currently use a Razer Barracuda AC-1 sound card (a quick overview of the specs here) and I've never used it with headphones before (pretty much completely new to headphone gaming) so I'm not sure if I need a DAC or not. Would there be any advantage to getting a DAC for my current setup? If so, which one would be best ~$100?

I see the E9k/Magni and E17/Modi are popular options and looks like lately the Magni has been recommended more for the Q701.

I'm still kind of confused about the Astro Mixamp though. If one was to buy, for example, the M&M stack, would the Mixamp bring anything useful to the table or is it only useful when you don't have a DAC/Amp already? Also, if I were to get a mic, would there be any any advantage to hooking it up to something other than the mic port of the sound card?

Thanks a lot for the great thread, there's an incredible amount of information here for those new to the headphone scene, especially in terms of gaming.

Yeah, I know. The Mixamp is sort of a crumby source but for console function at the price point I don't think you can do any better.

All my MP3's were either made into MP3 from CD to highest quality that WMP allows OR downloaded through Amazon. (Don't slap me) So, I don't think I have the best quality files to begin with. Forgive my ignorance but I am a gamer first and foremost. Love of music is secondary really. I am just trying to get good HD sound to go with the good HD graphics without wrecking my wallet.

To that end I think:

PS3>Astro Mixamp>Schiit Magni>Q701's

PC>SB Titanium HD>Schiit Magni>Q701's

Perhaps later I will add the Modi to the PC and start thinking about FLAC and all that. Though I have long had my heart set on ODAC/ODA but the wait is still a bit of a mystery. I also want a more "fun" set of cans to pair with the Q701 for more bass heavy music (Rap/Hip Hop/Jungle/DnB....) All this later though.

But given my stated goal does it sound like I have my head screwed on straight?

P.S. this is the best thread of all time.So glad you guys helped me find the Q701's

So I ordered the Q701 headphones yesterday based on the reviews of them in this thread (and elsewhere) and eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Now I'm looking around for a good DAC/Amp combo primarily for desktop gaming and music. Admittedly, it seems that I should have ordered the amp/dac first, but no biggie.

I currently use a Razer Barracuda AC-1 sound card (a quick overview of the specs here) and I've never used it with headphones before (pretty much completely new to headphone gaming) so I'm not sure if I need a DAC or not. Would there be any advantage to getting a DAC for my current setup? If so, which one would be best ~$100?

I see the E9k/Magni and E17/Modi are popular options and looks like lately the Magni has been recommended more for the Q701.

I'm still kind of confused about the Astro Mixamp though. If one was to buy, for example, the M&M stack, would the Mixamp bring anything useful to the table or is it only useful when you don't have a DAC/Amp already? Also, if I were to get a mic, would there be any any advantage to hooking it up to something other than the mic port of the sound card?

Thanks a lot for the great thread, there's an incredible amount of information here for those new to the headphone scene, especially in terms of gaming.

The best reason to get the Mixamp is for Dolby Headphone gaming on consoles. I love my Mixamp and it started my whole quest for better gaming with headphones. The Mixamp itself is a DAC/Amp so for console gaming the Modi becomes useless when using the Mixamp. The Amp on the Mixamp does drive the Q701 to acceptable levels WITHOUT voice chat mixed in. Turn up voice and the volume on the Q701 takes a dive off a cliff but would be just fine with any consumer grade 32 ohm headphone. Though if you look up ^ both MLE and Chico seem to be in agreement that the Q701 needs a good amp to be it's best. It's the same pickle I am in with the Q701.

However, a quality DAC like Modi or ODAC for music listening on the PC may be worthwhile over a sound card DAC provided you are using quality files as Chico pointed out.

I myself have the Mixamp for PS3 and am just trying to find a good sound card with a decent on board DAC for PC as my ears are not as discerning as much of this community. Though many will tell you that just having your DAC (USB) and Amp outside of your PC chassis (noisy environment) is the way to go. Of course you can't swing a cat around here without hitting ten people who say you need a $10,000 DAC, $10,000 Amp, and $10,000 Headphone or you might as well be dead. LOL.

I can tell you this. After I picked up the Astro Mixamp and the Razer Carcharias everything changed. Dolby Headphone with open back cans spoiled me. Gone forever are the days of plugging in $25 Sony headphones into the jack on my desktop speakers. My god the years I lost to crappy game audio.

The best reason to get the Mixamp is for Dolby Headphone gaming on consoles. I love my Mixamp and it started my whole quest for better gaming with headphones. The Mixamp itself is a DAC/Amp so for console gaming the Modi becomes useless when using the Mixamp. The Amp on the Mixamp does drive the Q701 to acceptable levels WITHOUT voice chat mixed in. Turn up voice and the volume on the Q701 takes a dive off a cliff but would be just fine with any consumer grade 32 ohm headphone. Though if you look up ^ both MLE and Chico seem to be in agreement that the Q701 needs a good amp to be it's best. It's the same pickle I am in with the Q701.

However, a quality DAC like Modi or ODAC for music listening on the PC may be worthwhile over a sound card DAC provided you are using quality files as Chico pointed out.

I myself have the Mixamp for PS3 and am just trying to find a good sound card with a decent on board DAC for PC as my ears are not as discerning as much of this community. Though many will tell you that just having your DAC (USB) and Amp outside of your PC chassis (noisy environment) is the way to go. Of course you can't swing a cat around here without hitting ten people who say you need a $10,000 DAC, $10,000 Amp, and $10,000 Headphone or you might as well be dead. LOL.

I can tell you this. After I picked up the Astro Mixamp and the Razer Carcharias everything changed. Dolby Headphone with open back cans spoiled me. Gone forever are the days of plugging in $25 Sony headphones into the jack on my desktop speakers. My god the years I lost to crappy game audio.

Thanks a lot for the response! Yeah I've never really gamed with headphones, and the only time I really tried to was with a friend's Astro A40 and the Mixamp a couple of years ago, which was quite a revelation for console gaming for me. I've also never listened to open headphones personally, so I'm very exited, to say the least, to start using this setup.

I've been using some cheap Radio Shack headphones (an older version of these I think) through the 3.5mm out on the Logitech Z-5500s (a sin around here, I know) so I'm expecting this to be quite a big upgrade.

Well I hope you like them. They are clearly quality. Never thought I would pay $250 for a headphone but as soon as you take them out of the box you can tell they are well built.

My old X-Fi extreme gamer card clearly needs help driving them. I turn the volume to full and it gets about to the volume I want but that means there is almost certainly some clipping, distortion and what not. It's obvious to me that they are in a bit of a struggle to be driven correctly but they still sound good so I have high hopes. Then there is the voice chat problem with the Mixamp. All this adds up the conclusion that I clearly need an amp for them. Chico and MLE told me that ahead of time and there is no shortage others as well. So, in short I knew what I was getting into in terms of needing an amp but I am on a mission.

Well, my mixamp just arrived and I'm disappointed with the quality of the cables provided. They look (for lack of a better word) flimsy and low quality. I think I will buy replacement cables. With that said, upon further discussion I'm probably going to keep the mixamp, at least for the time being. I'm not going to buy the Wii U anytime soon so I shouldn't worry too much about a solution for it yet. Besides, with at least a year of usage, I figure this amp will have probably amortized by the time I buy a Wii U.

The mics I bought from dx.com should be arriving next week. Now I just need a pair of headphones, lol.